6 Best Foods To Eat To Fight Heartburn

Heartburn is a common side effect of eating a large meal or stuffing your stomach with fatty and spicy foods. When you stomach is packed with foods that are difficult to digest, your stomach stretches and exerts pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter, and relaxes it. As a result the stomach acid moves into the food pipe. The acid irritates the esophagus and you experience heartburn. Just as consumption of the wrong food triggers heartburn, it can also be soothed with the help of certain foods.

Here Are Some Of The Best Foods You Can Eat To Reduce A Heartburn:

1. Banana

Banana is a natural antacid. It is known to help in providing relief from indigestion, which triggers heartburn, and calms the stomach. Banana helps in restoring the natural acidic environment of the stomach that helps in improving digestion and reducing hyperacidity (1).

2. Oatmeal

If you are prone to heartburn, eat a bowl of oatmeal daily to calm your stomach and reduce hyperacidity. The fiber rich food helps in coating your stomach and the food pipe and neutralizing the effect of excess stomach acid. However, avoid mixing full fat milk or cream with oatmeal because the fats tend to relax the lower esophageal sphincter muscles, leading to acid reflux (2).

3. Almond

To fight heartburn, eat a handful of blanched almonds or drink a small amount of almond milk. The alkalinity of almond helps in neutralizing the excess stomach acid. Therefore, it works as a natural antacid (3).

4. Papaya

Papaya is rich in enzymes that help in improving digestion. For fast relief from acid reflux that occurs after eating a large meal, eat few slices of ripe papaya. If you are prone to acid reflux, add papaya to your daily diet to fight the heartburn (4).

5. Leafy Greens

Leafy greens are alkaline in nature. Adding them to the diet helps in neutralizing the excess acid in the stomach. Eat a bowl of steamed leafy green vegetables or drink the fresh juice to reduce heartburn naturally (5).

6. Honey

Honey helps in soothing heartburn. For fast relief from heartburn, take a teaspoon of honey. Honey contains enzymes that seem to help in improving digestion. Therefore, honey can help in reducing acid reflux triggered by indigestion (6).